How to design a living room

Living large

Natural light streams into the living room through the large double swing doors and sliding windows. The white walls and white-painted cement floor keep it light, but this uniformity is anything but dull. Leone didn’t want a typical white and blue beach house look. “I like a bit of blue, but I prefer a dove grey. I also bring in some turquoise and red for variety but I’m particularly fond of floral motifs. And I cannot resist a beautiful piece of fabric,” she explains.

Leone makes most of her scatter cushions herself. When her son recently asked her what he could bring back from overseas, all she wanted was a beautiful piece of Cath Kidston fabric, which now adorns a scatter next to the fireplace; the fabric on the sofa was also carefully selected by her.

Beach houses typically have to cater for large gatherings over the holidays and this one has more than enough seating – Leone brought in additional cane chairs to accompany the large sofa and two easy chairs. “These are particularly useful because they’re light and can easily be moved around where needed – even outside.”